Easier riders

Huge, costly and inefficient. For the most part, it’s a fitting description of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Saving money while improving service? The MTA isn’t known for that. Far from it.

So the overdue decision to begin testing the use of yellow taxi cabs to pick up and drop off MTA Access-A-Ride customers is a welcome development.

It’s a no-brainer that might signal better things to come under Jay Walder, the authority’s new chairman and CEO.

Access-A-Ride is the MTA’s program to provide 24-hour, door-to-door transportation for people with disabilities or other physical limitations who are unable to use public bus or subway service.

Currently, the program - operated via private contracts worth millions of dollars - uses fully accessible vans for most riders, with an average cost to the MTA of $49 per trip. Eligible users pay a fare of just $2.25

But about 75 percent of Access-A-Ride customers do not require the use of the lift-equipped vehicles, which sometimes even make trips with just one passenger.

Under the pilot program, 400 Access-a-Ride customers in Manhattan are using pre-paid debit cards for yellow taxi rides - at an average cost to the MTA of $15 per trip. It’s a savings of nearly 70 percent.

Using taxi cabs and livery cars to provide Access-A-Ride service at a lower cost, something we have urged, should have been done a long time ago.

For years, New York City Transit has contracted with 17 black car services that transport customers for the same fare paid by riders on an Access-A-Ride vehicle. These on-call car services have proven to be highly popular.

Speaking about the use of yellow cabs by Access-A-Ride customers, Mayor Bloomberg said, “We first proposed this idea on the campaign trail last year and later incorporated it into our joint effort with the City Council to make New York a more age-friendly city.”

The MTA anticipates saving up to $200,000 per month under the new program.

Staten Island MTA board member Allen Cappelli, a leading proponent of the change, has said: “Access-A-Ride needs to get less expensive. It’s a program that has gotten way out of control because of historical mismanagement and some people taking advantage of the system.”

The Access-A-Ride customers participating in the pilot program are volunteers. They are all ambulatory, people who can walk on their own.

The customers gain flexibility in their schedule because they are not locked into a specific pickup time. Also, they do not have to worry about putting out large sums of money for a cab ride and waiting for reimbursement.

The Access-A-Ride pilot program will conclude after 90 days. Depending on the results, it may be extended for an additional 90 days or be expanded to more riders.

Mr. Cappelli believes this borough would be “ideal” for the MTA-backed use of taxis for Access-A-Ride customers.

He’s right. The new plan ought to be extended as soon as possible to Staten Island.